How to fix User Account Control (UAC) "Yes" button missing in Windows?

When the User Account Control prompt shows only No, your account is not an administrator and Windows found no administrator who can approve the change. It is not a broken button. Check which accounts are administrators first, then let an administrator make your account one again.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

What it means when User Account Control shows No but no Yes

User Account Control (UAC) has two kinds of prompts. Microsoft calls them the consent prompt and the credential prompt. The consent prompt goes to administrators and has Yes and No. The credential prompt goes to standard users and asks for an administrator's user name and password instead of a Yes.

The picture above is what this page is about. The prompt reads "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?" and then "To continue, enter an admin user name and password." Normally the credential prompt lists an administrator account with a password box under it. When there is no active administrator to list, the box is missing too, and only No remains.

Why the UAC Yes button is missing, from most to least common

• Most often: your only administrator account was turned into a standard user. This is the case in the Microsoft Q&A thread: a user made a second account an administrator, then took the role away from the first one. Removing the last administrator role leaves nobody who can approve. Fixes 1 to 3.
• Often: another administrator exists, but you do not have its password, or it is disabled. A family member's account or an old setup account may be the only administrator. Fix 2.
• Sometimes: you are an administrator, but a policy asks for credentials. The setting User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode set to Prompt for credentials shows a password box instead of Yes. Fix 4.
• Rarely on home PCs: the device is managed by work or school. IT may keep every user a standard user on purpose. Fix 7.
• Unconfirmed: malware. Malware that changes group membership is possible, but we found no documented case. Run a scan once rights are back.

How to fix the missing Yes button in User Account Control

Fix 1 takes one minute and tells you which of the other fixes applies. Fixes 2 and 3 solve it for most readers who still have a second administrator account. Fix 4 is for administrators who get a password box. Fixes 5 and 6 are only for the owner of a PC with no administrator left. Fix 7 is for work and school PCs.

Fix 1. Check your account type and which accounts are administrators

1 minuteNo riskEveryone, first. It needs no administrator rights and takes one minute.

The Yes button depends only on whether your account is in the Administrators group. These two commands read that group without elevation, so you know at once whether you need another administrator, a policy change or a recovery route.

1. Type cmd in the Start search box and open Command Prompt the normal way. Do not choose Run as administrator.
2. Run net user %username% and read Local Group Memberships. Only *Users means you are a standard user. *Administrators means you are an administrator.
3. Run net localgroup administrators and read the names under Members.
4. For every name other than Administrator, run net user followed by that name and read the line Account active. It must say Yes.
5. Note the result and pick the fix from the chooser above.

Command Prompt, no elevation needed

net user %username%
net localgroup administrators
net user "Other Name"

A Microsoft account appears under its short local name, often the first five letters of the email address. Administrator in the list is the built-in account. It is disabled by default, so it cannot sign the prompt.

Fix 2. Approve with another administrator account, or reset its password

5 minutesNo riskFix 1 lists an active administrator account that belongs to you or to someone in your household.

Microsoft explains that a standard user can do an administrative task by entering valid credentials for a local administrator account. The prompt fails only because nobody has signed that request yet.

1. Open Start, select your account picture and choose Sign out.
2. On the sign-in screen, select the administrator account in the lower left corner and sign in with its password or PIN.
3. If you do not know its password and it is a Microsoft account, reset it at account.live.com/password/reset from any device.
4. If it is a local account, type a wrong password once and select Reset password. This works only when security questions were set for it.
5. Once signed in as the administrator, go straight to Fix 3.

Fix 3. Make your own account an administrator again

3 minutesLow riskYou are signed in as an administrator (Fix 2), or the UAC prompt offers an administrator's name and password box.

The missing Yes button comes from your account being left out of the Administrators group. Putting it back changes the prompt from the credential prompt to the consent prompt at your next sign-in.

1. Windows 11: open Settings > Accounts > Other users. Windows 10: open Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.
2. Select your own account, then Change account type.
3. Under Account type, select Administrator and select OK.
4. Sign out of the administrator account and sign in to your own one. The new rights apply only from the next sign-in.
5. Open Command Prompt with Run as administrator to test. The prompt now shows Yes.

Without leaving your own account: press Win + R, type netplwiz and press Enter. Type the administrator's password when the prompt asks. Select your name, then Properties > Group Membership > Administrator and OK. Or run net localgroup Administrators "Your Name" /add in an elevated Command Prompt.

Fix 4. Set the elevation prompt for administrators back to the default

5 minutesRead the warningYou are an administrator (Fix 1 lists your name), but UAC shows your own name with a password box instead of Yes.

Microsoft documents that administrators can be made to give credentials by setting Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode to Prompt for credentials. Setting it back brings the Yes button back.

1. Windows Pro: press Win + R, type gpedit.msc and press Enter. Type your password when UAC asks.
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options.
3. Double-click User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode.
4. Select Prompt for consent for non-Windows binaries, which is the default, and select OK.
5. Windows Home has no Group Policy Editor. Open regedit, go to the key below and set ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin to 5.
6. Restart the PC and test with Command Prompt Run as administrator.

Registry key (Windows Home)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

Step by step for the editor: Open the Local Group Policy Editor. On a work or school PC this policy is usually set by IT, and your change is undone at the next policy refresh.

Fix 5. On your own PC with no administrator left, add your account in Safe Mode

20 minutesLow riskOnly the owner of the PC, when Fix 1 shows no active administrator other than the built-in one and nobody has an administrator password.

Winaero and a Microsoft Q&A volunteer describe that the built-in Administrator account, disabled in normal mode, can be used in Safe Mode when no other administrator exists. From it you put your own account back into Administrators.

1. On the sign-in screen or in Start, select Power, hold Shift and select Restart.
2. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
3. Press 6 or F6 for Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
4. If the Administrator account appears at sign-in, select it. Microsoft Q&A says it opens an elevated Command Prompt.
5. Run the first command below, with your account name from Fix 1.
6. Run the second command to make sure your account is active, then type shutdown /r to restart normally.

Elevated Command Prompt in Safe Mode

net localgroup Administrators "Your Name" /add
net user "Your Name" /active:yes

Fix 6. Reset this PC as the last resort on your own PC

1 to 2 hoursRead the warningOnly the owner of the PC, when no administrator account can be reached and Fix 5 failed.

A reset reinstalls Windows and runs setup again, where the first account you create is an administrator. It is the supported way back when no account on the PC can approve changes.

1. Copy your personal files to OneDrive or an external drive. See Back up your files (Windows Backup, File History, Time Machine).
2. On the sign-in screen, select Power, hold Shift and select Restart.
3. Select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
4. Choose Keep my files if it is offered and works, otherwise Remove everything.
5. Follow the setup screens and create your account. It becomes an administrator.

Full steps with screenshots: Reinstall Windows without losing files.

Fix 7. On a work or school PC, ask IT for the rights

10 minutes to prepareNo riskSettings > Accounts > Access work or school lists an organization, or the PC was given to you by an employer or school.

Microsoft recommends standard user accounts as the more secure way to run Windows, and organizations often follow that. The missing Yes is then the policy working, not a fault.

1. Note what you were trying to install or change.
2. Copy the output of net user %username% from Fix 1.
3. Send both to your IT help desk and ask them to install it or give you time-limited rights.
4. Do not try Fixes 5 or 6 on this PC. They break policy and can lock the device.

If the Yes button is still missing: what to check and what to send

There is no log for the missing button. The answer is in the account data. Collect these from a normal Command Prompt before you ask for help on Microsoft Q&A or from the PC's maker:

1. net user %username%: the Local Group Memberships line.
2. net localgroup administrators: every member.
3. winver (a window opens): your Windows version and build.
4. Settings > Accounts > Access work or school: whether an organization is listed.

Once your rights are back, scan the PC with How to scan for malware with Microsoft Defender if you did not change the accounts yourself. The missing Yes button is never a hardware problem.

How to keep the Yes button from disappearing again

Frequently asked questions

Why is there no Yes button on the User Account Control prompt?

Because your account is not an administrator. Microsoft explains that UAC shows administrators the consent prompt with Yes and No, and standard users the credential prompt, which needs an administrator's user name and password. When no active administrator account exists, the credential prompt has nothing to offer, so only No is left. Make your account an administrator again from another administrator account (Fixes 2 and 3) or, on your own PC with no administrator left, through Safe Mode (Fix 5).

What does "To continue, enter an admin user name and password" with no Yes button mean?

It is the credential prompt for standard users. Windows wants an administrator to approve the change. Normally an administrator's name and a password box appear under that line. If you see only No, no active administrator account is available to approve. Run net localgroup administrators in a normal Command Prompt to see who is an administrator, then follow the chooser on this page. On a PC that is not yours, ask its owner or IT.

Can a missing Yes button be caused by a virus?

It is unlikely. In the cases we found, a person changed the account type, often by removing the administrator role from the last administrator account. Malware that changes group membership is possible, but we found no documented case for this symptom. If you did not change any account, restore your rights with this guide and then run a full scan with Microsoft Defender. Change the passwords of your Microsoft account and email afterwards if the scan finds anything.

What does "To complete the setup process, please select Yes when the User Account Control notification appears" mean?

It is a message from an installer, not from Windows. The installer needs administrator rights and waits for you to select Yes in the UAC prompt. If that prompt shows only No, the installer cannot continue, because your account is a standard user. Make your account an administrator first (Fixes 1 to 3) and run the installer again. On a work or school PC, ask IT to install the program for you.

Why does Windows say "You must restart your computer to turn on User Account Control"?

It means UAC was switched off completely and someone has just turned it back on. Windows applies that change only at startup, so restart when it asks. The message itself is not an error. After the restart, administrators see Yes and No again, and standard users see the credential prompt. If you see "User Account Control has been disabled", someone switched it off; turn it back on in Control Panel and restart.

Is switching User Account Control off a way around the missing Yes button?

No. Turning UAC off does not give a standard account administrator rights, and changing that setting needs an administrator in the first place. It also lets programs change Windows without asking you. Microsoft notes that because processes requiring an administrator token cannot install silently when UAC is on, the user must explicitly approve them. Fix the account type instead, and leave UAC on its default level.

Can I get the Yes button back without any administrator password?

Only on a PC you own, and not always. Fix 5 uses Safe Mode, where the built-in Administrator account can sometimes be used when no other administrator exists. Readers of Winaero report that this fails on some builds. Fix 6, Reset this PC, is the fallback, but it removes your apps and may erase your files. On a PC that belongs to someone else, there is no legitimate way around it: ask the owner or IT.

Is the fix the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10?

Yes. The prompt, the cause and the commands are the same on Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2 and on Windows 10 22H2. Only the Settings path differs: Windows 11 uses Settings, Accounts, Other users, while Windows 10 uses Settings, Accounts, Family and other users. Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025, so a Windows 10 PC no longer gets security updates. Keep at least one known administrator account on either version.

Where can I see a picture of the UAC prompt with no Yes button?

The first picture on this page shows it: the User Account Control prompt for Windows Command Processor with the line "To continue, enter an admin user name and password" and only a No button. The chart under the causes shows which fix fits your case. People also find this page with short searches such as yes option, windows yes, pokaz or je to stejné. They all lead to the same answer: the account needs administrator rights.